South Florida family sues FBI for early morning raid without warrant

[RagingInMiami]

This went down in a poor, black neighborhood where civil rights are never a priority.

http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/13386035.htm


Ta'shika Randle was 13, developmentally disabled and fast asleep when the FBI arrived at her Fort Lauderdale home early one morning before school.

Moments later, a federal lawsuit says, she awoke to find a gun pointed at her head and strangers shouting orders.

A team of FBI agents and police officers went to the home at 1445 NW Eighth Ave. at dawn on April 14, 2004, to arrest Ta'shika's uncle, Fabian Corriette, on a federal drug charge.

But the agents didn't have a search warrant when they roused Ta'shika, her grandmother and another uncle who owns the home and is her legal guardian, the lawsuit says. And Corriette wasn't there.

[acmavm]

1. Not only have they lowered the standards for breaking into people's

homes in the middle of the night, but they've obviously lowered the intellectual standards for FBI agents as well.

[drm604]

2. Suppose you keep a gun in your bedstand for protection.

You own it legally, have the required permits etc. Then you wake up one morning to find strangers pointing a gun at your 13 year old niece and shouting at her. It seems like you would be legally justified in shooting at them (the wisdom of doing that is a different question). What would happen to you? They're in your house illegally (no warrant), pointing guns and shouting. You have no idea who they are. Even if they stated who they are how do you know you can believe them? You have very little time to decide whether or not this is some kind of attempt to abduct the girl and then to decide what to do about it.

[RagingInMiami]

3. I was thinking the same thing

[Kagemusha]

6. My understanding is...

they give you a public defender, convict you for capital murder and put you on death row. (re: a recent Mississippi case)

[drm604]

9. Yes

I'm sure you're right. They wake you out of a sound sleep into a confusing and ambigious situation, then prosecute you when you defend your family against unknown intruders.

[hlthe2b]

4. Those who read this take the time to voice opposition to

the Patriot Act REnewal and your support for Russ Feingold's plans to fillibuster--please! Call your Congress "creature" and Senator TODAY!

This will be the rule if the current "compromise" version passes!

[peace frog]

5. Is anyone surprised?

This is Florida after all, where another Bush rules with impunity.

[Love Bug]

7. Has nothing to do with Florida law

These were federal agents looking to arrest someone on a federal drug charge. This could happen anywhere.

[peace frog]

8. The general political climate in Florida

is highly conducive to federal police state actions such as decribed in the article, thanks to a Patriot Act-friendly GOP-ruled state in general and Jeb Bush as governor in particular.